Who We Are

NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the leading grassroots pro-choice advocacy organization in Washington state, and we believe that every woman should be able to make personal decisions about the full range of reproductive health options. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington works to protect every woman’s right to access the full range of reproductive health options, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. NARAL Pro-Choice Washington is the state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

What was so different about this time that controversial vote came up? I want to know. I want to know so hopefully I can find a way to help people–especially people in power–understand that abortion restrictions hurt people. While browsing the interwebs, I found that the Assemblyman’s son was a rabbinical intern who told his father about the results of women unable to access abortion as it should be performed in a safe and clean medical environment. His daughter-in-law asked what would happen if the bill did not pass this year. George Michaels responded with, “Maybe next year.”

Every year NARAL hosts a Reproductive Rights Lobby Day in Olympia. I am reminded of how we are trained to specifically ask legislators if they will vote on a bill we are trying to pass or vote against cutting the family planning budget. The person we are lobbying may say they support us. And maybe they do, on a personal level. But frankly, support is pretty worthless without some kind of action! The two times Assemblyman Michaels voted against repealing the abortion ban in New York, the bill did not pass.

Tearful and clearly torn, George Michaels turned his support into action by voting to repeal the abortion ban. It was a major political risk since his conservative constituents and his party wanted him to continue to vote against the repeal. If he had not voted to repeal the abortion ban, it would not have been repealed that year. His vote was the deciding vote to legalize abortion in New York.

Did the risk pay off? Well . . . he received hate mail. When he tried again his party refused to endorse him, effectively ending his political career. In that respect he is not someone that most politicians would aspire to be like. After all, maybe next year the ban would be repealed and his political career would have remained intact.

His family members state that Michaels never regretted his decision. We hear him say, “what’s the use of getting elected, or re-elected if you don’t stand for something.” That attitude, of standing up for what is right, for really seeing your position as a politician as a servant to the people not as a career, is an attitude that other politicians should be inspired by. His courage to go against his party, to do something to save lives, to fight for human rights, is something that all of us can be inspired by.